After rough start, South Fayette rolls
run home run in the fourth to make it 11-4.
Morgan didn’t lack for confidence early in the game, he said, despite the four-run deficit.
“I certainly didn’t think we were going to lose,” Morgan said. “We have a lot of heart, a lot of character on this team, a lot of kids to be proud of. … We have been in positions like that and we’ve just overcome. We want it. They’re hungry. It’s fun.”
Dell tossed a complete game, giving up six hits, three earned runs and one walk while striking out nine in six innings.
The Titans took a 1-0 lead as Visnesky scored center fielder Trey Manspeaker on a sacrifice fly.
In the third, shortstop Jonathan Taylor doubled to right-center field, and a single by Visnesky scored Taylor. Dylan Sanders replaced Visnesky at first base, and a home run by catcher Nick Ackerman scored Sanders as the Titans took a 4-0 lead after a three-run inning in the third.
It was motivation from South Fayette’s coaches, Dell said, that kept the Lions going.
“Our coaches got us pumped up there, a little bit,” Dell said. “We were down by a couple runsm and that just gave us some momentum back. … We got a couple runs on [Visnesky]. He got behind in the count a little bit, and we were able to put some quality at-bats together in a row, and that’s really what led us to get the eight runs that inning.”
The Lions were able to get three runs off West Mifflin reliever Jonathan Taylor to reach a 10-run advantage and cut the game short.
“We always know we’re in the game,” Dell said. “You can’t expect a 10-run rule every game. We always know we’re in the game and that we have a chance to win. That mentality led us to come back.”
Visnesky, who ended the regularseason 8-1 and tied for second in the WPIAL in strikeouts (76), gave up 12 hits, 11 runs and one walk and struck out four in four innings.
After a first-round bye and squeaking in just one scrimmage between rain, South Fayette had about two weeks off, Morgan said, a possible explanationfor the slow start.
“That was going to be our biggest obstacle today, other than West Mifflin, obviously,” Morgan said. “They’re a good squad. We didn’t have our approaches that we typically have, and we didn’t barrel up baseballs that we should have. Missing spots here and there. We just brought them in in the second inning and said ‘Hey, just get back to playing baseball.’”